The Ontario Hockey League, (OHL), has levied fines totaling $400,000.00 against the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club and taken away three 1st round draft selections and two 2nd round draft selections from the Spitfires....

This, apparently, is the new blueprint of how you build a Memorial Cup champion team, as long as you don't get caught. Who knows, other CHL teams may be investigated later.

The Windsor Spitfires have denied any wrongdoing after the club was handed a $400,000 fine and stripped of three future first-round draft picks and two future second-round picks by the Ontario Hockey League Friday.

The unprecedented penalties were the result of two investigations by the league that determined the club had violated the league’s player benefit and recruitment rules and policies.

“The league conducted two separate investigations led by our director of security and enforcement (Ken Miller),” OHL commissioner David Branch said. “In considering all the facts, I was persuaded that the Windsor Spitfires hockey club violated the league’s player benefit and recruitment policies.

“While the penalties may appear to be severe, the league and its member teams recognize for any such violations of our recruitment/benefit rules and policies, we must send a strong message to preserve the integrity of our league.”

Windsor will lose its first-round pick in 2013, 2014 and 2016 as well as second-round picks in 2015 and 2017.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Spitfires denied any wrongdoing.

Unless their championships are forfeited I think the league failed in this situation, and the Spitfires get away with it. Three 1st round picks, two 2nds, and $400,000 (which is chump change for the owner I'm sure) is well worth it to turn one of the worst teams in to back-to-back memorial cup champions and create huge media attention through the championships/star players, which I'm sure in turn made them a lot more than the $400,000. I guarantee you they would do it all over again if they had a chance.

I work for a small market team in the WHL and everyone in our organization is ecstatic that a deep-pocketed, privately owned team is finally being held accountable. Teams like the Spitfires, London Knights and Portland Winterhawks have been screwing over the rest of the teams that can't afford to hand over stacks of under the table money to European and American talent for far too long.